We joke every time we ride. Metro Escalator repair man is the best job in the universe. You'll never run out of work and apparently no one cares that you suck at your job.

Also, all those "top" people should be fired. Maybe everyone at Metro. You all suck. Would it kill you idiots to take a look at all the major sporting event schedules in the area and figure out oh I dunno, when 40K baseball fans and 15K hockey fans all flood the system at the same time? All it would take is a couple extra trains each direction. Have them at the end of the line, get the call that game is over, run them dark until the first transfer, profit.

Also, I'm amazed they actually started selling advertising in the trains. Sell more. They always biatch that they don't have funding well god damnit, sell more ad space.

How much do the top 16 people at the Washington Post make? Because I bet we can work up some outrage about that too.

Articles like this are such a joke. You're talking about top level administrators. Are we expected to believe they should be making minimum wage? Ask anyone who doesn't do your job how much it should pay and 99% will not come close to what you think you're worth.

The problem isn't that these people are overpaid, it's that we undervalue others.

As for the broken escalators, I'll lay odds that some city councilman's brother-in-law won the no-bid contract to install the things and these people just get stuck with having to maintain them as the city reduces their budget.

The DC metro is a damn sight better than the rail systems in a lot of other cities Ive been in and Im sure handles not only a good deal more traffic, but a greatly higher percentage of people who just dont know what the fark due to tourism. Yeah I live right here and I use it all the time. even when an escalator is busted you can still get to where you need to go and I think they should be praised for that.

CowardlyLion:If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Pocket Ninja:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Pocket Ninja:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

CowardlyLion:If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

If you're doing stairs, basically outside, in a suit, before work in 90% humidity during a fair chunk of the year, I can see why the escalators are an issue. But if you don't have a job where you were suits to work, please rant away.

TheOriginalEd:The DC metro is a damn sight better than the rail systems in a lot of other cities Ive been in and Im sure handles not only a good deal more traffic, but a greatly higher percentage of people who just dont know what the fark due to tourism. Yeah I live right here and I use it all the time. even when an escalator is busted you can still get to where you need to go and I think they should be praised for that.

For the most part - I agree. Part of the escalator problem could be fixed by simply ripping out the ones that are only go up/down one story and replacing them with stairs. When I used the Springfield metro station, there was one that was being overhauled (took several months) - but only went up (the equivalent) of one story. Why? Convert those to stairs and focus on keeping the long escalators working.

Even in 100+ heat the majority of people can go up one flight of stairs. Saves money* that can be used to keep the elevators working for those that need them.

/*assuming no lawsuit from people slipping or having heart attacks on the stairs...

Pocket Ninja:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

wow a person who runs a major public metro system that covers 2 states and the district is paid at the same level as a middle of the road CEO?

As for the escalators nearly got killed by the GA/Petworth one two weeks ago, was going down, room mate was going up, waved to him. Right as I wave the escalator goes to a dead stop. If I hadn't grabbed the railing I would have had 10s of ft to fall.

Nabb1:The DC Metro is pretty nice. And I don't get the whining about the escalators. When I'm there, I like to stand right there on the left hand side and just enjoy the ride.

The Metro in Paris is nice, when the workers aren't on strike, which I found out is a whole lot.

Ehh, the last Métro drivers' strike of any consequence (which is to say, the last one that I can remember being inconvenienced by) was back in 2007. I just took the bus to work instead, since the bus drivers are evidently represented by a different union. Now 1995, that was a strike...

Anyway, the escalators in the Washington Metro might be chronically broken, but at least it's not because they're clogged up with hobo turds like in San Francisco. Goddamn are those BART stations foul.

CowardlyLion:If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

some of the DC metro stops are very deep underground...dupont circle, for example. it's right near rock creek, which is a huge ravine that runs through that part of DC. so the metro tunnel has to dive deep there to go under rock creek. so when the escalator breaks, it's a huge PITA.

dupont circle:

wheaton (at 508 feet, the longest single-span escalator in the western hemisphere; a trip takes over 3 minutes):

I'm not even sure that that is a competitive salary, seems pretty low imho. There are mid-level managers out there that make more than that. Dunno why anyone would be thinking that the pay is too HIGH. If anything it's too low.

Pocket Ninja:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Someone's never been to Wheaton.

I've walked up it once when it was broken. Never again, at least not without taking a 10 minute break halfway through.

i have a friend who is a maintenance supervisor. always working, ot, double shifts, etc... he let slip that he made over 180k last year. she said it is cheaper for them to have him work so much OT than to hire another person. no college degree, just 8 years in the army running radios and radio repair shops.

he also said that the OT hours also count towards his retirement. Meaning the more hours he works now, the closer his retirement age happens. he said he might not retire because the money is just too good. he is still union and not considered management. i joked one day that i should probably just give him money instead of trying to take the metro in for something. less aggravating and he probably would get it anyways. he just laughed and said 'probably'.

CowardlyLion:If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Obviously you've never been to the Wheaton, Forest Glen station or some of the other really deep DC Metro stations that are like 150 to 200 feet below ground.

thurstonxhowell:Am I the only one who has mostly found the Metro to be mostly well-run and convenient?

Nope. I refuse to drive when I go to DC. Take the MARC and use Metro to get around. As long as I remember not to go when the cherry blossoms are out. BIG mistake. Rarely have a problem with Metro once I figured out the fare system and that new farecard...

mjohnson71:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Obviously you've never been to the Wheaton, Forest Glen station or some of the other really deep DC Metro stations that are like 150 to 200 feet below ground.

I've used the Bethesda Metro a number of times and wanted to just kill myself half way up when they were broken down one day. I know I'm out of shape but there was a little old man half way up when I started and he was still struggling by the time I finished the climb.

Oh yeah, and the elevator was out too.

I might not be so ticked by a $200K salary if the trains were more consistent (lives on the Orange Line) and if the elevators/escalators had better maintenance.

baltimoreblonde:thurstonxhowell: Am I the only one who has mostly found the Metro to be mostly well-run and convenient?

Nope. I refuse to drive when I go to DC. Take the MARC and use Metro to get around. As long as I remember not to go when the cherry blossoms are out. BIG mistake. Rarely have a problem with Metro once I figured out the fare system and that new farecard...

Don't get me wrong. When Metro works, it effing works. It's a better alternative to driving into the city. One of the factors in choosing a wedding venue was that it was near Metro. But if I have a number of guests held up because of a delay I wouldn't be shocked either.

CowardlyLion:If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere is on the DC metro Wheaton station. They are 230 feet long. Woodly Park is almost as long and much steeper.

You don't want to climb these now stairs. These are not NYC stations just slightly below ground.

Intrepid00:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere is on the DC metro Wheaton station. They are 230 feet long. Woodly Park is almost as long and much steeper.

You don't want to climb these now stairs. These are not NYC stations just slightly below ground.

There is a station on the Paris Métro (Abbesses, if anyone cares) that's just over 200 feet below ground. There are two elevators up from the platforms, but I have a friend who lives near there who refuses to take them; no matter what he may be carrying, he takes the stairs all the way up. He is also insane.

mjohnson71:CowardlyLion: If you're whining about escalators not working and you don't have any kind of physical disability, just kill yourself. Or learn to use stairs. You'll probably find the former to be easier, though.

Obviously you've never been to the Wheaton, Forest Glen station or some of the other really deep DC Metro stations that are like 150 to 200 feet below ground.

You are correct and I was very clearly wrong in my understanding of the nature of those escalators--my sincere apologies to DC folks for my ignorance. As wiki says, "The station's escalators are 230 feet long, the longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere." I've been on the DC Metro a few times (and probably not to any of these deep-underground stations, or I certainly have no memory of it), but about 20 years ago, and have since only seen subways/train stations 1-2 flights of stairs underground.

Robo Beat:Anyway, the escalators in the Washington Metro might be chronically broken, but at least it's not because they're clogged up with hobo turds like in San Francisco. Goddamn are those BART stations foul.

In defense of at least the CEO, he's fairly new to the organization, and seems to know what the hell he's doing. The trouble is, he's having to deal with years and years of crap that was done wrong, and never addressed- dealing with things like the track and elecronic control system (rebuilding the entire thing while the system remains active is no small feat), so that takes priority over other things. But he's also laying long term plans for the new tunnel and eventual rerouting of the blue line, finally replacing the 1000 series cars, and so on. Stuff is moving in the right direction, at least, but the history of utter incompetance, with many of the people responsible for it still in place, is hard to overcome.